Trump is targeting global climate aid. Here’s what that means.

By Sara Schonhardt | 01/22/2025 06:11 AM EST

Withdrawing from the Paris climate accord aims to cut U.S. funding to help other countries cut carbon emissions and build resilience.

Children flee floodwaters in Kenya in April caused by weeks of heavy rain.

President Donald Trump aims to stop U.S. funding for international climate aid that helps countries such as Kenya. Children fled floodwaters in the east African nation in April caused by weeks of heavy rain. Andrew Kasuku/AP

Joe Biden spent part of his presidency trying to improve the U.S. reputation after years of broken promises on international climate aid. In one sweep of a pen, President Donald Trump showed he was committed to erasing those efforts.

Trump’s executive order on international environmental agreements — one of dozens he signed Monday — calls for the immediate U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and any “attendant obligations.”

The order requires the U.S. to “immediately cease or revoke” financial commitments made under the United Nations framework climate treaty. But there are limits to how far Trump can go by himself.

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“It’s important to read the executive orders as a statement of policy and intent,” said Joe Thwaites, senior advocate for international climate finance at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “But it will take time to realize that, and Congress does have a really pivotal role.”

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